Speedy remedial action restores confidence

IMOGEN LARSEN writes:

Express recently carried an article which detailed the disgraceful unnecessary arrest of Arrie van Zelderen, who was accused of shoplifting at Shoprite.

He was allegedly racially abused and manhandled. Later he was released from police custody when he explained to them what had actually happened.

Two factors stand out to me in this episode which must have been very distressful and highly embarrassing for the elderly man.

Firstly, there didn’t seem to be sufficient due cause for the store’s security jackboot personnel to have had Van Zelderen arrested. Secondly I find Shoprite Checkers’ spokesman, Sarita van Wyk’s, explanation most unsatisfactory.

I don’t know how such people, who are tasked to enhance a company’s integrity to the public, manage to keep their jobs. Van Wyk seemed to whitewash the treatment of a Shoprite customer by saying that “his unconventional shopping behaviour played a role”.

Surely so-called “unconventional shopping behaviour ” does not excuse a draconian arrest She then said that the allegations of the manhandling of Van Zelderen and his sister, as well as racial insults, could not be substantiated during a Shoprite Checkers investigation. Really?

How did they come to that conclusion? Did they expect the security staff to actually admit to offensive conduct?

I am becoming very irritated by the automatic defence of their staff by arrogant companies and routinely ignoring the statements of their “valuable” clientele.

I was reminded of Van Zelderen’s shocking experience last week when I experienced a very contrasting service ethic from one of Shoprite’s rival supermarket chains. I posted a report on the Hello Peter website concerning some abhorrent service at my local store.

The very next day I received a most apologetic email from their head office customer service manager. And I was told that they were sending me a free gift to make up for my poor shopping experience at their store.

There was no quibbling about who was responsible, me or the store’s staff. Just a speedy remedial action which totally restored my confidence in customer service.

Any busy store can mess up but it’s the way they rectify the glitch that makes the difference.

I am afraid that is the lesson that Shoprite Checkers’ Sarita van Wyk still has to learn.